The title of Weir's perceptive latest entry in her acclaimed Six Tudor Queens series, following Jane Seymour, the Haunted Queen (2018), signals a new, original view of Henry VIII's fourth wife, best known as Anne of Cleves. A princess from the German duchy of Kleve, Anna grows up in her father's learned court. In a speculative subplot, she is seduced by an attractive cousin-by-marriage, leading to an emotionally difficult secret. When England seeks an alliance with Kleve, Anna grows alarmed about King Henry's poor marital history, and their first meeting is hardly auspicious. Weir draws readers into Anna's sympathetic viewpoint as she adjusts to unfamiliar customs, gazes at Greenwich Palace's ornate splendor, and puzzles over Henry's physical rejection even as he treats her kindly. Warm and intelligent, Anna learns to choose her battles, even if it means divorcing the monarch who has, surprisingly, become her good friend. Political, legal, and religious matters are dexterously illustrated, and Weir devotes ample time to the little-known struggles of Anna's post-annulment life. A richly satisfying portrait of a woman who made the best of limited choices.--Sarah Johnson Copyright 2019 Booklist

Weir's fourth installment to the Six Tudor Queens series (after Jane Seymour, The Haunted Queen) is a solid rendering of the often grim 16th-century travails of King Henry VIII's fourth wife, Anna, who survived divorce and a backstabbing court. Anna, 24, was a princess from the German duchy of Kleve, chosen to ensure royal offspring and good will with her country. Anna receives an extravagant welcome, but the marriage is never consummated; Henry assures Anna he likes her, "but it seems that God does not intend that I should love you." Obese and suffering from severe leg ulcers, it is suggested that Henry, 46, was impotent; however, Anna's much earlier annulled betrothal was contrived to legitimize Henry's rejection and divorce of Anna. All the while, Anna harbors a secret from before her marriage that would doom her--like her successor, Katheryn Howard, who was executed. Humiliated, yet relieved to live independently with her divorce settlement, Anna is a much-loved figure, though forced to contend with court intrigue: manipulative Thomas Cawarden, her tenant who is knee-deep in conspiracies; spies among her staff; and court officials who accuse her of treason for supposedly favoring Elizabeth over the king's rightful heir to the throne, Mary. Weir's clever plot reimagines Anna's deliciously scandalous maidenhood, sacrifices, and yearning for love. This riveting historical resonates long after the last page is devoured. (May)